


Ruin The Friendship

by NaryCanary



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cliche, Drama & Romance, Emotional Roller Coaster, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Jealousy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, You Have Been Warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-10-27 18:27:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10814361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaryCanary/pseuds/NaryCanary
Summary: Pidge has never experienced mind-blowing sex the way she's wanted to and is determined to remedy that. She needs to find someone who will not only be an extra company in bed, but will guarantee her the satisfaction she desires with no strings attached.To her surprise, Lance volunteers to be the gateway to her fantasies.After all, what are friends for?(Update: title has been changed. Previously "Make The Bed." Thank you Demi Lovato.)





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot...an excuse to write plance smut...somebody take my word documents away...

**PRESENT**

It’s a subtle pat on the shoulder, a light brush on the back of her neck - enough to raise the tiny hairs on her arms and make the cool space between her legs heat up instantly. She squirmed in her chair and mentally scolded her body for being so damn sensitive. It was crazy how one simple touch could make her mind spiral down the dirty lane.  
  
But given who the person was, it's not all that surprising.  
  
“I’m going to look for this textbook I gotta take notes from.” Lance yawned and stretched out his arms. “Do you guys need anything?”  
  
“The answers to this exam,” Keith muttered tiredly and reluctantly turned the page of his scribbled notebook. “It’s harder to concentrate with Hunk snoring in front of me.”  
  
Shiro smiled sympathetically at the sleeping form next to him. “We’ve all been studying hard all day. Let him nap for a bit.”  
  
Allura checked her watch. “Oh goodness. It’s nearly midnight.” She rubbed her eyes and glanced over at Pidge, noticing the tension in her friend. “Are you alright? You seem worried.”  
  
It took a moment for Pidge to realize Allura was talking to her. She blinked and cleared her throat, sitting up straight. A quick peek behind her confirmed Lance had already gone to go find his so-called _textbook._  
  
“A little,” she answered. “Y-You know...want to pass my classes and all.”  
  
“Out of everyone sitting at this table, you should be the least concerned.” Shiro stated with a soft grin.  
  
“Agreed. You’re the brainiac.” Keith playfully poked her side with the back of his pen. “Go walk around and clear your head. Maybe get a late night snack at the cafe down the street.”  
  
“Yeah...ok. I’ll go do that.”

“Don’t get sidetracked, and tell Lance to stop dicking around as well.”

She glared at Keith and his eyes met hers instantly with the same amount of bite. Although brief, she could see it all in his gaze; the hidden warning and disapproval. It’s the same look he’s been giving her for the past six months.

He knew what she was about to do. He always did. He never supported it.  
  
Pidge pushed herself away from the table quietly and stood up, nodding to everyone still conscious and made her way to the back of the library where the exit was.

She was surprised to see the place nearly empty. Usually when exam season rolled around, every table would be occupied with students buried in countless textbooks. Groans of frustrations was a frequent sound to be heard and every couple seconds somebody was dropping their heads on the table in abandon. Tonight it was eerily quiet; with only a few souls around who appeared to be completely wiped for the day.  
  
Being completely wrapped up with her surroundings, Pidge failed to notice a hand reaching out from one of the aisles and almost screamed her head off when she was unexpectedly pulled in.  
  
“Lance!” She hissed behind his covered hand and smacked it away. “What gives?”  
  
“You were going to walk past me.” Lance pouted and crossed his arms. She had grown to become fond of that look on him. “Didn’t you get my signal?”  
  
“Oh I got it. I was just choosing to ignore it.”  
  
“Then where were you going?”  
  
“To clear my head. Get something from the cafe. I don’t know. Keith’s idea.”  
  
“Well I have a better one.” He hooked his fingers through the loops of her jeans and pulled her close until their hips pressed together. He bent his head down until his mouth was hot next to her ear and whispered, “Want to take a wild guess? It kinda involves my face getting in between your thighs, _Katerína.”_  
  
There was the heat again; the full force throttle of fire setting Pidge’s body ablaze and spreading like a wildfire. How could Lance have this much power over her?  
  
“You’re crazy.”  
  
_“You_ make me go crazy,” Lance teased and snaked his arms around her body like a serpent. “I’ve been working hard all day with all this damn studying. I need you.”  
  
“I’m not doing this in the library.” She looked around them. “Someone can see us.”  
  
“Trust me, I know. And I have no problem if they catch me eating you out.”

The filthier his words were, the faster she melted.  
  
“Unbelievable. You have no shame.”  
  
“I don’t have a reason to be.”  
  
Pidge wanted to do so badly protest more and smack him away, but the shudder up her spine and the buckle in her knees are concrete signs of weakness that do not go unnoticed by Lance’s sharp perception. He knew her way too well and grinned mischievously at her reaction.

“If you want me to stop then just say the word,” he continued and traced his fingers over the band of her pants. “It’ll just be a shame I won’t get to taste you until way later; especially since all I could think about for the past hour was you and your flavor.”

He’s gotten insanely good at this - the dirty talk. In the beginning when they had started this _thing_ between them, there was always a little hesitation and stuttering in his voice. Whenever he tried to seduce her with words, it had been embarrassing on his part but hilarious for her. She had received a good amount of laughs out of it, much to his chagrin.

Who knew the day would come when her laughs would turn into whines and pleads and moans and even _screams._  
  
And breathless. He always left her breathless.

She doesn’t remember agreeing to this crazy idea and it didn’t matter. He was already capturing her lips eagerly; kissing her senseless and gently prying her mouth apart to let his tongue explore. She reciprocated and turned her head to the side for better access, moaning when he gave her bottom lip a generous suck that left her unable to resist any longer.

When had their arrangement come to this?  
  
More importantly - how could Pidge allow herself to fall this deep?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to scream at me:  
> [ **tumblr**](https://oquiznakitznary.tumblr.com/) | [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/narycanary?lang=en)
> 
> (fun note: originally titled as Touch & Fuck Love)


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge signs up for an online dating service with the intention of finding someone to have a one night stand with. To her surprise, Lance is the one who is fully against it. When she tries to settle for an alternative, he ends up walking out the door completely upset. Has their friendship been ruined?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things...
> 
> 1\. Every chapter after this _will_ have smut and pretty descriptive ones too. If that's not your thing, then this story isn't for you. It's rated E for a reason.  
>  2\. I have a few kinks in mind I'm going to explore with this ship. Nothing hardcore, but I'll tag them anyway when it happens.  
> 3\. Each character's sexuality will be mentioned at some point when the appropriate time comes. You're free to ask me on the side what they are if you're that curious - all except for Pidge. Why? It's part of the plot that I want to keep to myself until the end.  
> 4\. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE [WIFEY](http://ancoscorner.tumblr.com/) FOR BEING MY BETA!! ilysm ♥
> 
> NOW ENJOY --

_Hey Journal,_

_I’m single...again._

_Alright, that doesn’t sound as bad as it looks. Truth be told, I’m glad things ended between Jake and I. Whatever it had been._

_Definitely not anything that can convince me to stick around that’s for sure._

_You know how you’re working through a long ass math problem and solving each step without a hitch, but then suddenly you get to the end and somehow obtain a different result than what the multiple choices have given you? Yeah, that’s what it felt like with Jake. I knew I plugged in all the right formulas, so how the hell did I end up with this unforeseeable outcome?_

_While the two of us may have been compatible enough to have some steamy makeout sessions and go on casual dates like a happy couple, the fun never quite made it to the bedroom. There was no high. No cloud nines. No afterglow. No...anything. Not even (and I hate how painfully cliche this sounds) a hint of a spark._

_Once again, I have been let down. The sex-hype train never arrived to come get me and I was left hanging behind. Everything I had anticipated didn’t measure up to my expectations and now I am just -_

\---

Pidge’s swift fingers abruptly stopped moving. They hovered above the glowing letters for a fraction of a second until she decided to remove her hands completely and drop them in a heap against her sides. She stared blankly at her lap to think about her next move.

After another moment of muted contemplation she closed her laptop, pushed it aside, and released a frustrated groan in the back of her throat. She preferred to wallow silently in misery without having the bright screen burning out her retinas.

There was a lot more on her mind she wanted to type out in her journal but she opted to quit for the night and slumped back despondently against the wall. Guess she would just have to let the problem swim around in her head until she tired out and fell asleep.

It wasn’t like this issue was anything new. She _had_ written this out a million times before (not literally, but that’s what it felt like) and admittedly, was getting tired of sounding like a broken record. The only thing she was really doing was taking up more space on her hard drive while repeatedly summoning a dark cloud over her head.

Moody. She was being moody and she hated it.

_Buzz buzz. Buzz buzz. Buzz buzz._

Pidge reached for her phone under the blanket and entered the six-digit passcode to unlock the screen.

\---

 **_Lance (10:42 PM):_ **  
_You’re the smart one. Which one of these cameras should I buy?_

 **_Lance (10:42 PM):_ **  
_[1 photo attachment sent]_  
_-Screenshot shot at 10:40 AM-_

\---

Pidge exhaled heavily and tossed her phone somewhere beside her. She wasn’t in the mood to look at which expensive camera Lance should blow his money on. The guy had already been through two and somehow kept breaking them...

“Pidge?”

She raised her head to look at her roommate - Keith - standing by the door. He was rubbing his eyes and wearing a loose shirt with mismatching shorts; looking completely worn out for the day and two seconds away from hitting the sack.

“Going to bed?”

She shook her head. “I might go downstairs to watch something on Netflix until I knock out.”

He frowned, suddenly looking more awake. “I was about to go to bed, but…” He stepped inside, crossed his arms and leaned against the dresser. “Sounds like something is on your mind?

She pursed her lips. “What gave that away?”

“I could hear you stabbing your keyboard from down the hall and then you made some kind of gorilla noise like you were done with life,” he answered, sounding amused. “Need an ear?”

Pidge shook her head. She didn’t want to keep him up.

“Nah. I think I’ll just deal with it.”

“You sure?

Pidge didn’t say anything and merely fiddled with the hem of her sweater; a little disappointed Keith was giving her an easy way out. Then again, he was never the prying type. He was always there if she needed someone to talk to, but he’s never meddle in her business unless he was absolutely sure she didn’t mind.

Lucky for him, she could never contain her problems for long. She was amazed she hadn’t mentioned anything about this absurd dilemma since it started. Although that could have been because she wasn’t sure if Keith was the right person to talk to. Okay sure, they may have been best friends, but she’d be lying if she said that it didn’t make her feel weird discussing this particular area of her life with him -

“Katie, I’m over here.” Keith waved, reminding her of his presence. He only did this when he could sense her loud thoughts without hearing them. “You can tell me anything,” he reminded her softly.

Pidge knew she could, but the pessimistic part of her snapped and demanded to know how telling Keith would solve anything. What was the point if the probability of him giving her great advice was close to zero?

 _‘Whoa. Bitchy much?’_ Pidge thought to herself and rubbed her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? Her roommate was only trying to help.

She didn’t realize Keith was sitting next to her until he grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. She cleared her throat and drew in a deep breath to help ease her nerves. When she looked up, she was met with Keith’s worried eyes.

Pidge bit her bottom lip and swallowed.

“Oh screw it,” she muttered and decided to just spill her guts before her vehement thoughts started taking over again. “So here’s my damage…”

 

* * *

 

_Hotter Sex...For You!_

Pidge puckered her lips skeptically to the side, tilting her head along with it. What a redundant headline. Couldn’t the editor have come up with something more clever?

_These Sex Moves Will Change Lives!_

She scrunched up her nose. That was the dumbest sentence she had ever read. Moving on...

_Blow Job Tips: Open Wide & Say “Ahhh…”_

The caption made her snort. Who the fuck said that while sucking dick?

_Learn These Turn-On Tricks & OMG Foreplays!_

To try these would mean Pidge needed a sexual partner; something she definitely didn’t have at the moment. Jeez, as if she needed a reminder.

_11 Orgasmic Sex Positions That Are Even Better With Vibrators_

She raised an eyebrow at this and blinked a few times with interest. This one could probably help her…

“What are you looking at?”

“Gah!” Pidge cried out and dropped the magazine on the floor, jumping at least two inches in the air. She immediately whirled around to glare at the person who startled her and threw her hands up. “Keith, what the hell?!”

He rolled his eyes and reached behind her head to grab the same newsletter she had been reading a second ago. He briefly glanced at the model on the cover wearing a skintight leather outfit and held it up next to his unimpressed face.

“Seriously?”  
  
Pidge harrumphed and snatched it out his hands. “Stop judging me.”

“You’re better than this.”

“Am I?” She challenged, hardening her gaze. “I’m going through a dry spell I think would put the Sahara desert to shame.”

Keith shoved his hands into his jeans and rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood to hear this rant; at least not today. “Did you find what you were looking for in here? If we’re late again Lance is going to throw a bitch fit.”

“It’s not our fault we live on the other side of the city,” Pidge grumbled and went in the checkout line with Keith following behind. There was an elderly man in front of her with a cart full of items and she groaned internally. Damn, they were going to be here for a bit. “Is everybody else already at Hunk’s?”

“I think so. Shiro texted me asking us where we were at.” Keith opened up a game application on his phone and started playing. “Allura opted to play Truth or Dare for tonight - both versions.”

Pidge snorted. “That means someone is bound to get hurt tonight.”

“No one got hurt last time.”

“You and Lance dared each other to jump on the back of a random moving car in the middle of the night and got sent to the ER,” Pidge deadpanned. “I had to take extra care of you for two weeks because you couldn’t go up and down the stairs without assistance.”

“Whatever,” Keith muttered, blushing mildly at the recollection. It had taken months for his broken bones to heal.

“Just don’t do it again, okay?”

“I’m making no promises.”

Pidge sighed and moved up two steps in the line. She would have to make sure to have 911 on speed dial for tonight in case another nonsensical accident occurred.

Whenever Lance was involved, no one knew what could happen.

As the two left the store, Pidge stared warily up at the black and dubious sky above them. In the distance, thunder could be heard rumbling as the wind picked up slightly.

_Shit._

 

* * *

 

“You’re late.”

Pidge and Keith stood at the apartment’s entrance - completely drenched from head to toe - with very pissed off expressions. Well, if Keith’s bangs weren’t so long, it’d be easier to see his.

“You will _not_ reprimand us this time Reyes,” Keith warned and wiped some huge drops off his chin.

“Especially since we practically ran through a hurricane to get here,” Pidge added. “I could barely stay on my feet!”

Lance smirked and leaned against the door frame. There was a satisfactory glint in his cobalt eyes. “I’ll forgive you this time since I’m digging your bra choice for today. Victoria’s Secret?”

This earned him a jab in the stomach.

“Pervert,” Pidge muttered and sidestepped around his crouched form. She was way too short to walk over him like Keith did.

“Lance?” Allura called and poked her head out from the living room. “What’s going on? I heard you - oh my goodness!” Her eyes widened upon seeing her newly arrived friends. “You two are soaked!”

Keith ran his fingers through his wet locks and dragged the bangs behind his ears. “So we are…”

Allura squinted at Pidge. “And I can see your bra through your shirt.” She hummed in thought. “Victoria’s Secret?”

Pidge scowled. “Can someone get Keith and I some clean clothes?”

“Sure.” Allura motioned them down the hall. “I may have a spare leggings in my bag but I’m afraid you might need to settle for one of Lance’s shirts in the meantime.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Pidge rubbed her arms to try and warm herself up. “Throw our clothes in the wash?”

“Absolutely.”

Keith sniffed the air for a moment with an unpleasant look on his face and glanced down at Lance. “Why the hell do you smell like that?”

Pidge blinked curiously. “Like what?” She took a whiff as well but didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary.

Lance got back on his feet and rolled his eyes. “Long story short - oldest sister is freaking out over not having the right perfume to wear on her wedding day and used me as a test dummy.”

“Ha!” Pidge snickered. “Serves you right.”

“For what?!”

She shrugged. “For being you, I guess.”

He glared. “I hate you.”

“Whatever.”

Allura shook her head and chuckled in amusement as she ushered Pidge into one of the spare bedrooms. “You two I swear…”

 

* * *

 

When Allura joined the group a year and a half ago, Pidge was thrilled to have another girl to hang out with. Even more so when Allura turned out to be one of the most awesome person on the planet - intelligent, compassionate, hilarious, and acutely perceptive of others. Seriously, she could sense when one of her friends was in distress without them having to utter a word. She was that damn good.

For the upteenth time since they had become close friends, Allura stood behind Pidge and wordlessly started playing with her hair. She did this every time to soothe Pidge, right before having a heart-to-heart conversation.

“So,” she began, “What’s on your mind?”

“A lot of things,” Pidge retorted. She patted her face with a hand towel to dry off the excess water coming from her head. While it may have taken some coaxing to open up to Keith, Allura always made it easier to tear down the walls.

“Do you miss Jake?”

Pidge responded with a puzzled look. Not at Allura - it was a natural question to ask someone after a breakup - it was more towards herself. She furrowed her brows and glanced away from her reflection in the mirror.

“It’s not Jake,” Allura concluded.

“You don’t sound surprise,” Pidge noted.

“Because I knew the answer already.”

“So why ask?”

“It was a warm-up question for you to spill what’s actually been bothering you...”

Pidge recognized that lukewarm tone. Allura only used it when she sensed Pidge was holding back on her for awhile. She frowned, disliking the idea that Allura had been most likely waiting around for Pidge to confide in her this entire time.

But what was Pidge supposed to say? She missed sex and wanted to get laid? That her own vibrators and fingers weren’t doing enough for her? That she needed someone to make her voice go hoarse from time to time?

“You’re overthinking it,” Allura pointed out. “Perhaps just say the first thing that comes to mind and we can go from there?”

Pidge made a _I-don’t-think-that’s-a-good-idea_ face.

“Jeez Katie. Is it that awful you’re having trouble saying it? You usually ramble.”

“This isn’t your typical scenario where I can chew your ear off without causing some kind of mental damage. Just ask Keith.”

“I’m not Keith, and you know the boy has trouble putting himself in someone else’s shoes.”

Allura had a valid point. Maybe that was why Pidge was a little reluctant to tell him anything. With the life he had lived, it was hard for him to relate to a lot of people.

...Fuck it.

Pidge might as well tell Allura now before her dry spell got even drier. Maybe the older woman could give some helpful advice to end her lonesome misery.

“Sex,” Pidge blurted out.

Allura just about choked and tripped back on nothing. She may have been intuitive, but it was still possible to surprise her.

Pidge smirked playfully. “Wasn’t expecting that, huh?”

“If it was something as lewd as that, I may have thought I’d receive a warning first,” Allura admitted and cleared her throat, resuming the loose braid she was working on. Her interest had definitely peaked. “So...sex?”

“Sex,” Pidge confirmed.

“Alright...so in a way, you do miss Jake.”

“Hell no.”

Allura cocked her head curiously to the side. “Was he - was it _that_ bad?”

“Not...really?”

“That’s not a valid answer.”

Pidge huffed irritably. Looked like she needed to explain this a bit more thoroughly. It may scar Allura for life, but at least Keith now had someone who could sympathize with him.

“Alright here’s the thing with my sex life so far…”

 

* * *

 

Every time Hunk came back in the garage to fetch a tool for the small invention him and Lance were putting together for his little cousin’s birthday party, he noticed Pidge was still working on the same page in her statistics textbook. He admitted they weren’t the easiest to solve and sometimes it could even take him all day to finish it, but when you had a calculative brain like Pidge you didn’t need a day. A couple hours was more than enough for someone with a mechanical mind like hers.

He found it strange she was having trouble completing her homework and didn’t care that they needed to be meeting up with their friends at the karaoke bar in a couple of hours. Something was troubling her and he didn’t want to pressure her into going out if she wasn’t feeling it. He could always try to find out what was going on before and see if he could help.

“Talk or nah?” Hunk asked as soon as he plopped down beside her.

Pidge blinked up at him. “Huh?” It was difficult to understand him clearly when there was someone mowing his front lawn.

“Talk or nah?” He repeated, a little louder this time. “Or would you rather I guess the problem until I get it right?”

 _Talk or nah_ was a mini game they’d been playing since freshman year of college. Pidge initially introduced the game to him when he had been going through personal struggles at home and didn’t have Lance (his main best friend) around at the time. The rules were fairly simple; the person could either _talk_ and say everything that was on their mind or choose the _nah_ option for when they didn’t feel like spilling their guts but would appreciate the other’s presence for comfort.

She narrowed her eyes. “It doesn’t sound like you’re giving me an option to say ‘nah’ here.”

“Only because I’ve been watching your mood drop everyday.”

Pidge’s shoulders slacked. Was it _that_ obvious?

“Is it Jake?”

She scrunched her brows together. “No. I was the one who broke up with him - remember?”

“Which you have yet to explain why.”

“Believe me...you don’t want to know.”

“Did he do something that made you uncomfortable?” Hunk clenched his fingers tight around his arms instinctively. “Did he hurt you?”

Pidge snorted. “That boy couldn’t hurt me if he tried.”

 _‘He’s not nearly aggressive enough to do so’_ she thought bitterly afterward.

“Then what?” Hunk asked. “I thought everything was going great.”

“It was.” Pidge shrugged. “Until it wasn’t.”

“You’re really trying to evade the question, huh?”

“I liked you better in high school when you weren’t the prying type.”

Hunk surrendered his hands up in the air, scooting back. “I’m just trying to be a friend.”

“I know,” she sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. “It’s just the more I tell the issue the more pathetic I feel and in a way, it seems like I’m...making a big deal out of nothing. Or something that’s stupid.”

“If it’s affecting your mentality it’s not stupid.”

“I don’t think my mental health is in peril here.” Even it felt like it is sometimes.

“You’ve been working on the same statistic problem for an hour now.” Hunk pointed at her paper. “And you plugged in the wrong formula so your answer is definitely wrong.”

Pidge harrumphed and slammed the textbook shut, crossing her arms and sitting all the way back in her chair. She didn’t want to look at that shit right now. Especially when she was...she was….

“I’m sexually frustrated!” she exclaimed right as the lawn mower turned off.

Hunk’s jaw dropped.

It was safe to assume he and perhaps everyone else in the house had heard her loud and clear.

Everyone except for Lance, apparently.

“Hey Pidge!” He waltzed into the garage while pulling down Pidge’s gigantic headphones from his ears. It was currently blaring some fast-paced rap song. “I think your bass in this is a little low. Wait, why is your face red?” He frowned. “Are your allergies acting up? Where are your meds? Did you forget to bring them again?”

Pidge groaned in humiliation and covered her face, slumping all the way down her seat until her ass connected to the ground.

“Do we need to call 911?”

If only the universe could open up a hole in the ground and transport her into another dimension.

 

* * *

 

“How are you holding up?”

Pidge detected the worried tone in Shiro’s voice and quietly replied, “could be better. Keith told you?”

The group had decided to spend Saturday afternoon at Altea’s National Park, located in the middle of the city. Allura and Hunk brought a few picnic baskets to munch on while they went through several, dangerous rounds of volleyball. It was dangerous because a) none of them really knew how to play and b) Keith and Lance were way too competitive and had been playing unfairly the entire time. But more than the game, Pidge considered the heat to be the most dangerous thing. It was summer, which also meant summer heat and Pidge really didn’t like spending a lot of time outside.

Could someone remind her why she was here again?

Shiro had joined her underneath the tree’s shades and was now resting against the bark. He had several beads of sweat dripping down the back of his neck and wondered how much Keith would have shuddered at the sight.

Out of everyone in the group, Pidge knew Shiro the longest. He had been best buddies with her older brother Matt throughout middle and high school and would come over their house frequently to hang out up until last year, when her brother had won a fantastic scholarship to study abroad. With Matt gone for a while - he would return home some time in the beginning of the following year - Shiro had taken it upon himself to look after Pidge as much as he could. Although she usually appreciated the kind gesture, the hovering really wasn’t what she needed at the moment.

Shiro placed a hand on her back and rubbed it in circles. “It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to.”

“I doubt it.” Pidge hadn’t meant to scowl, and she didn’t blame the way Shiro’s face appeared hurt by her response. At this point, she couldn’t help herself and wished she had better self control when it came to her emotions.

She shook her head and shamefully lowered her gaze. “S-Sorry. That was rude.”

“It’s alright.” Shiro moved his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “Want to talk about it?”

This time around Pidge didn’t feel guilty about the face she made.

“No offense Shiro - I know we’re not related or anything - but you’re still Matt’s best friend and I’d kinda feel weird talking about my sexless life with you.”

Shiro remained silent. A little too silent. And for way longer than necessary.

Pidge glanced over at him to see what was up and saw him blinking at her with a shocked expression.

 _Ah shit._ He didn’t know, did he?

“Heads up!” Lance shouted from the distance. “Pidge! Shiro! Volleyball is heading your way!”

Pidge turned her head just in time to get whacked right in the face.

 

* * *

 

The first time Pidge had sex wasn’t her best time. The second and third time had been a little better, but it had still hurt like hell. The fourth and last time had just been a mess and she hadn’t wanted to go through another round. No need to deal with the cleanup.

After all the failures, she had decided that getting off on her own fingers for the rest of her life would be best. If sex was supposed to be like what she had experienced all the time, taking charge of her own pleasure was a better alternative. At least she knew how to please herself damn well.

Still, it would have been nice to have someone else deliver her the orgasm she craved from time to time. There were nights where she longed to writhe in pleasure underneath a sweaty body and have her screams bounce off the walls so damn loud, the entire block could hear. She may have acted like she wasn’t all that interested in sex and preferred to read a book or surf the web above everything, but she was in fact a woman deep inside with strong desires and fantasies. She couldn’t help it. It was just a part of who she was.

Maybe that's what drove her to this online dating site she was currently checking out. Allura had suggested it and she thought _why not?_

Except now that she was in and had made her account, she still couldn’t browse around the website. A member could only proceed forward after filling out their profile. Her shoulders dropped upon seeing the words “Tell Us About Yourself!” blaring on the laptop screen in bright, bold letters.

She suddenly felt humiliation and shame wash over her. What the hell was she doing? Was her sex life imperative enough for her to resort to these desperate measures? Better yet, did she _really_ need to do this? Wouldn’t it be easier to sit in one of her classes and start picking out which person in the room she could totally picture herself getting down and dirty with? Lots of people did it, so why shouldn’t she use the same method?

“Pidge? Is that you?”

The familiar voice jerked Pidge out of her thoughts and she instantly closed her laptop, turning around in her private booth to see Lance’s older sister, Ezor.

“Hey!” She greeted with a smile. One eerily similar to Lance’s. “What’s up?”

Pidge blinked in disbelief a couple times before answering. “Uhm, not much. Studying, I guess.”

“Oh?” Ezor smirked. “Doing extensive research on one of the infamous hookup websites in the city?”

Pidge winced. Perhaps mindlessly surfing the web in a cafe hadn’t been the brightest idea, even if it was a dead one. “Yeah…”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed about.” Ezor dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand and made herself comfortable across from Pidge. “I have an account on there too.”

“You do?”

“Of course. How else do you think I get laid?”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t been expecting that.

Ezor giggled and winked. “There’s some pretty girls on there who are definitely my type. Are you more interested in guys or ...”

“I honestly don’t have a preference,” Pidge shrugged. “It just so happens that the only three people I’ve dated have all been men.”

“You’re only 20. You’re still young. Practically a baby. A cute one too.”

Pidge had to resist rolling her eyes out of politeness. She knew she looked younger than her age and would rather not be reminded.

“I can help you out with your profile.”

Pidge’s irritation melted into confusion. “Huh?”

Ezor smiled and pointed at the laptop. “You know you need to upload pictures on your page, right?”

“I do?”

“You have a better chance of finding your matches faster if they have a face to your name. Especially one as pretty as yours.”

Pidge scratched the back of her neck. “I’ll think about it. I almost convinced myself to back out before you caught me.”

“You can just fill out the questionnaire and wait to see the results you get. You don’t have to go out with any of them,” Ezor assured. “Try it! What have you got to lose?”

“If your brother finds out I’m doing this I’m never going to hear the end of it.” She could already hear Lance making fun of her.

“I won’t tell him,” Ezor promised and tapped her chin in thought. “Now...I think I still have pictures on my computer from my father’s wedding last month. I know I have photos of you in there so I’ll go home and send them over to so you can pick your favorites. How does that sound?”

It sounded like a dreadful start to a terrible plan.

Then again, maybe Pidge just needed to give this online dating service a chance. It's just as Ezor said after all - she’s got nothing to lose.

 

* * *

 

Pidge had never been so wrong before in her young life.

\---

**GROUP CHAT**

**_Lance (5:52 PM):_ **  
_Pidge, why did I just walk in on my sister setting up a dating profile for you?_

\---

Pidge skyrocketed off the couch as if someone lit a firecracker up her ass. She stared wide eyed in disbelief at the message.

“Fuck! Shit!” She yelled while frantically pacing back and forth. _“Dammit!”_

“What’s gotten into you?” Keith asked and turned his attention away from the show they were watching. When she didn’t answer, he pushed her hip with his foot to get her attention. She stumbled to the side but didn’t shoot him a glare like he expected her to. His curiosity peaked as he elevated himself on his elbows.

“Pidge?” He tried again, mildly worried.

\---

 **_Hunk (5:54 PM):_ **  
_A what? Did I read that right?_

 **_Allura (5:54 PM):_ **  
_You really did it?!_

 **_Shiro (5:55 PM):_ **  
_Lance...did you have to put her business here?_

 **_Lance: (5:56 PM):_ **  
_SHIT I THOUGHT THIS WAS A PRIVATE CHAT WITH HER_

\---

A snort brought Pidge’s attention back to the real world. Her forehead ticked as she turned around to see Keith looking at his phone.

“Are you _laughing_ at me?”

“Not at all.” He shot her an amused look. “But I may or may not be judging you.”

“Okay, first of all -” She pointed a finger directly at his face, “ - no sexual desire for anyone, no opinion.”

“I may not be craving to have a dick thrusting into me, but online hookups? Seriously?”

Pidge crossed her arms and whipped herself around to face the opposite direction. This was exactly why she wanted to keep this a secret from Keith and everyone else in the first place.

“Plenty of people do it. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because it’s _you_ I’ll be worried about and not them.”

Pidge skeptically looked over her shoulder, silently asking Keith what he meant by that.

“Do you have any idea what kind of crazy shit happens to people who do exactly what you’re about to do?”

“Of course I do.” She snapped. It’s one of the reasons why she almost backed out of this idea. “I know the risks I’m taking.”

“And you still want to go through with it?”

“Yes.”

“Katie -”

“Keith, there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind,” she clipped, “I’m doing this.”

The silence falling between them ticked by with elongated seconds. Keith studied Pidge carefully to see if she was really committed to going along with this ridiculous plan while Pidge stood her ground with determination. She didn’t come this far for nothing and she’d be damned if this was where it ended.

After a minute passed, Keith sighed heavily and scooted to the edge of the couch to sit up. He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together.

“Fine,” he muttered, “If you do this -”

“- which I will,” Pidge interrupted.

Keith rolled his eyes and continued, “then I won’t stop you and I’ll try to be supportive, even if I don’t like it. _But…_ ” He lifted a two fingers. “I have a couple rules.”

“Which are?”

“First and foremost, you’re going to get tested after every hookup.”

“Planning on it,” Pidge confirmed. “And the second?”

“Don’t get pregnant.”

She tapped her chin in thought. “I wonder how much birth control pills and condoms are put together…”

Keith groaned and pulled out his wallet, taking out a few bills and slapping them on the coffee table. Pidge most likely didn’t need financial help, but he wasn’t going to chance it if he could help it.

 

* * *

 

After explaining to everyone in the group chat what she exactly planned on doing with her dating profile and asserting her mind was made up, Pidge was extremely taken aback by their reactions. Not only had they all seemed okay with it (or as okay as they _could_ be since at the end of the day, they all knew Pidge was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions), they seemed genuinely interested in seeing how the events will play out. Of course they wanted her to be extremely careful with the people she meets with, but they managed to joke about the slim possibility that she could find her soulmate online and become the modern-day princess (Allura’s words, obviously) who finds her happily ever after.

All of them except for...Lance.

Somewhere between Allura texting that Pidge’s perfect man had got to be from Barbados and Shiro playfully describing how her partner will end up being a robot, Lance became a lurker for the hot topic of the night. He made a small comment here and there in the beginning, but it was so unlike Lance to be this quiet - especially when it came to conversations like these - that it had Pidge wondering if he was alright. She had been so sure he would throw a few playful jabs at her and ended up receiving no reaction from his end.

Right when she was about to call him on Skype to see if he was alright, she heard Keith opening the front door downstairs and exchanging a few words with someone before leaving to go to work. Pidge’s attentive ears knew right away it was Lance and her eyes moved to the bedroom door, knowing he would be here in 3...2…

_BOOM!_

The door slammed open with a thunderous clap, nearly giving Pidge a heart attack.

“Lance, what the hell?!” She yelled, faintly detecting her neighbors shouting something about hearing a gunshot fire off. “How about knocking next time?”

Instead of answering, Lance marched right over to her, grabbed her arms, and vigorously started shaking her.

“Are you suddenly out of your mind? Is _everyone_ out of their minds?!”

“Cut it out!” Pidge shoved him away. “And stop yelling! You’re going to make someone call the cops on us again!”

“Maybe someone _should_ call the cops and a psychiatric ward while they’re at it!”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Am I the _only one_ who sees something really wrong with what you’re about to do?”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Lance was referring to.

“Is that why you went MIA during the chat earlier? You’re against it?”

“Damn right I am!”

“Lance, I’ll be fine,” she tried to assure, “I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing and I can handle myself.”

“You’re shitting me, right?”

The boy hasn’t been here for five minutes and Pidge already wanted to leap out the window. She had never known anyone who could aggravate her nerves this fast.

“What do you want, Lance?” she demanded through gritted teeth.

“I want to know why you’re doing this out of the blue,” he finally replied at a normal volume.

“Out of the blue? What are you talking about? I’ve been bitching and moaning about my dry spell for three weeks now and all of this is coming as a shock to you?”

It was only as Pidge finished her sentence that she suddenly realized one vital detail about this conversation.

She had never told Lance about her dilemma.

“What?” Fuck, he actually sounded hurt. “Everyone else knew?”

Dammit. Did she have to answer that? It didn’t matter though. Pidge’s reluctant nod was enough.

“So…I’ve been in the dark this entire time?”

“It’s not like I just, y’know, _went_ to them and started pouring out all my issues,” she explained, “Actually with Shiro it was purely on accident. I thought Keith told him already.” She prayed on everything Shiro didn’t pass the information to Matt.

“But you willingly told everyone else? Even Allura?”

Pidge squeezed her eyes shut and flinched, knowing full well what Lance meant by that.

“Katie, I thought _we_ were closer than anyone here.”

And they were. They totally were.

Since Pidge could remember the two of them have always been by each other’s sides through thick and thin. Even when they fell short a couple years during high school, they found their way back to each other in the end.

The only reason why Pidge was rooming with Keith right now is because Lance couldn’t at the time. Breast cancer knew no boundaries; it couldn’t even recognize a beautiful soul like Lance’s mother.

Pidge remembered how Lance had dropped everything instantly - school, work, social gatherings, basketball - to help out with doctor visits, chemo appointments, and radiation therapies. Pidge visited the Reyes household four times a week on her own to make sure Lance was eating properly and bathing daily. She would be a shoulder to cry on whenever Lance needed one and listen to him vent about life being cruel and unfair.

On some nights when the house was quiet and Pidge didn’t have to work early the next day, the two would spend the evening sitting out on the back porch. They would talk about whatever came to mind as they watch the bright moonlight illuminate the city they lived in while Pidge softly stroke Lance’s hair as he laid his head on her lap.

During those moments when he would let out a rare breathy laugh and reach up to rub her arm to keep her warm throughout the cool nights, Pidge had wondered who would become the lucky person will Lance be saying his wedding vows to in the future.

“This isn’t like you,” Lance said after a brief pause.

“Yeah, well…” Pidge huffed hard enough to blow her bangs midair. “Here I am. Waiting to get some...action.” That came out sluttier than she intended, but it was accurate.

A condescending chuckle escaped Lance’s lips as he shook his head, looking elsewhere in the room and getting up in the process. “Yeah, there’s no way this is going to work out for you.”

She frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Pidge, do you know who you are?” He gestured all over her. “Do you _really_ think you’ll be brave enough to meet a stranger online and bring them home for a one night stand?”

A spark of anger flashed across her face.

“You think that just because I’m a little closed off and like to be a homebody that I can’t, I don’t know, _crave_ sex?”

“...a little,” he admitted, shrinking away at the dangerous drop in her tone.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She slammed her laptop shut, hastily untangled herself from her bedsheets and stomped over to him. Her steps were hard enough to make the objects on her desk vibrate on the surface and fall off.

_“Seriously?”_

“Well, you have to admit you’re not -”

“Not. _What?_ Flirtatious enough? Pretty enough? Sexy enough?” As Pidge punctuated each adjective she’d get closer to Lance’s face, forcing him to lean back each time.

“I wasn’t going to say any of those -”

“I know I don’t fit the criteria of a stereotypical sex-kitten, but I still _want_ to have sex.”

“That’s not what I was going to say!”

“Then what the hell is it?”

Whatever she had been expecting, it definitely wasn’t what what Lance said next. Her brain was fully prepared to fire all the curse words she could jam into a single sentence and call him all the atrocious names in the book.

They all died on her lips the moment he spoke.

“Because you’re _Pidge._ I didn’t think you’d have a problem with stuff like this because in a weird way, your bitchy comments and sarcastic attitude is kind of a turn on! Honestly, it’s girls like you I’m dying to get in my bed!”

Completely baffled, Pidge stared at him for a long time. And stared. And stared. And stared.

How was she supposed to reply to that? Would the appropriate response be a thank you? Sorry for jumping to conclusions? Wait, wasn’t Allura the ideal girl he would love to have sex with? Why would he prefer her instead?

Now she was confused.

“What game are you trying to play at?”

“I’m not,” Lance affirmed. “I’m telling the truth.”

“You’ve never said anything like this to me before.”

“Did me talking about your _bitchy comments_ and _sarcastic attitude_ not suffice?”

“You make it sound like you were afraid of rejection.”

“I was more so afraid of you invalidating my opinion for _this_ exact reason.” Lance scowled. “You’re totally shutting me down.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I only asked you a question.”

“You think I’m lying to get into your pants.”

“Do you want to?”

Lance staggered back and gaped. _“Excuse me?”_

Pidge inhaled deeply and squared her shoulders back in defiance. “Do you want to have sex with me?”

“Where...where the hell is this coming from!?”

“I’m sexually frustrated.”

“Yeah I get that but...you just can’t do that!”

“What is it I’m doing?”

“Pidge, you’re not stupid. You know exactly what you’re doing to me.”

She crossed her arms and gave him a onceover. “What’s your point?”

“We’re _friends.”_ Lance snapped. “And I’m not just some fucking piece of meat you can have just because I’m available.”

“This is coming from a guy who is a very vocal sex enthusiast.”

“The difference between me and you is that I actually want to have sex with someone who means something to me. You’re just itching for a quick fuck. I hate to break it you, but I’m not the guy for you if that’s all you want.”

Pidge didn’t get a chance to say anything else after that. He slammed the bedroom door shut and made a prompt exit out her and Keith’s place.

He didn’t say a single word to her for the rest of the month.

Whatever the hell came over Pidge in those final moments would forever remain a mystery to her.

 

* * *

  

_“This is Lance! I can't get to the phone right now but if you leave a message -”_

_Click._

After the tenth rejected call, Pidge tossed her phone carelessly across the table and defeatedly sat back in her seat. She wasn’t in the mood to eat dinner anymore and opted to miserably pick at her food with a fork.

“Damn. What did you do to piss off Lance so much that he refuses to pick up?” Keith asked.

Pidge winced. “Do you really want to know?”

“Somebody’s gotta. It's been like what - two weeks?” Keith raised a brow. “Did you really do something or is Lance just being a drama queen?”

“No, his behavior is...valid.”

“Alright. So tell me. It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s bad.”

He shook his head confidently and took another bite out of his pasta. “Doubt it.”

She challenged him with a look and blurted, “I may have tried to get him to have a one night stand with me.”

Keith abruptly stopped chewing his food and spat it back on the plate. He coughed violently and smacked his chest a couple times before staring wide eyed at Pidge.

“Katie, _please_ tell me you didn't.”

“I wish I could…” She shrunk away in guilt. “But I did.”

_“Why?”_

“You're going to ask me why I wanted to sex? Really?”

“You had to ask _Lance_ of all people? Are you that insensitive?”

Pidge shamefully looked away. “I had no idea he held sex on a high emotional pedestal.”

“Of course he does. It's _obvious._ The guy may go on ridiculous tangents about how much of a stud he is, but he clearly is the type to not fuck around and would rather wait for the real thing with the right someone.”

To everyone but her, unfortunately. She was usually good at reading Lance like an open book, so how was it possible she had overlooked this? What was wrong with her? Where the hell was her head? Had she been _that_ self-absorbed with herself? Why is it that Lance never mentioned anything like this to her before?

“You’ve gotta fix this,” Keith advised.

“I’ve been trying,” Pidge moaned. “He doesn’t want to talk to me. I’ll just let it be until he’s ready.”

“This is gonna be one awkward movie night at Allura’s.”

“Dammit. That’s tonight, isn’t it?” She groaned and dragged her hands down her face. “Fuck my life.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Not go. Tell the others I’m cramping or something. Or I fell down the stairs and broke a leg.”

“Katie -”

“Keith, I’m not going. If Lance doesn’t want me there then I’ll stay home. I don’t want to be the reason why he can’t enjoy himself around you guys.”

“You can’t hide from him forever.”

“I don’t have a choice.” Pidge rested her head on her hand and wistfully glanced over at her phone. “He doesn’t want to talk to me. I can at least respect that since I acted like a heartless bitch.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Okay, it wasn’t _that_ big of a deal. He’ll get over it.”

But for Lance, it wasn’t going to be an easy issue to get over and Pidge respected that. She knew she crossed the line at their friendship and accepted the situation for what it is. If this was going to be her punishment, then so be it.

She had no room to complain.

 

* * *

  

Later in the evening, Pidge received a pounding knock on the door and groaned out loud. Thinking Keith had left his keys again, she grabbed a spare off the coffee table and went to go answer it.

“You need to wear this as a necklace or bracelet or _something.”_ She complained as she undid the locks and opened the door. “This is like the billionth time you’ve forgotten about your - Lance?”

“That’s me.” He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “May I come in? Or is the cold Keith claimed you have contagious?”

Pidge flared her nose instinctively at his accusing tone and gripped the the doorknob harder to hold back the snide remark threatening to leave her tongue. She silently counted to five in her head to calm herself down before speaking as politely as she could.

“You may come in.”

Lance nodded and entered when Pidge stepped aside. She redid her locks and rested her back against the door, scrutinizing him up and down. He was in the usual casual attire he’d always wear whenever they had movie nights; a pair of joggers, loose tank, high-top sneakers, a beanie, and a silver watch on his left wrist.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I live here,” she deadpanned, with her arms spread wide.

“So does Keith, but he’s over at Allura’s. Where you should be instead of making him lie to all of us.”

Pidge exhaled heavily through her nose and rubbed her temples. “Lance, do you want something? I thought we weren’t on speaking terms.”

He stood there for a full, long, heavy-filled silent minute before turning around and asked, “Had any sex lately?”

Oh, so was he here to make fun of her? Stupidly childish, but she supposed she’ll play along. Whatever he needed to move past this, she guessed.

“I haven’t,” she eventually answered.

“Didn’t find a suitor that met your criteria?”

He was going to slowly destroying her pride, wasn’t he?

“More like I’ve been handling my needs on my own.” She cringed and blushed at her own words. Telling Lance about her masturbating was fucking weird. She shook her head to keep cool and zeroed her eyes on the floor, refusing to look at him while having this conversation. “If you have a point can you get right to it? You don’t want to miss Hunk’s pick tonight.”

“That depends how long this is going to take.” He inserted his hands inside his pockets. “But first I really want to know...why do you think you haven’t found anyone yet?”

Oh man. He really was going for the gutter.

“I don’t know,” she said, sounding exasperated. “Not like I haven’t made the effort to.”

“You...you actually went out to meet someone?”

“Found a couple dudes.” Pidge confessed, still not raising her head. “But every time I did I always wanted out. Not because I was scared. I was just...bored.”

“Bored?”

“Bored,” she confirmed. “I always wanted out and texted Keith every time to come rescue me.” She sighed dejectedly and scratched behind her ear. “Maybe you were right. Maybe I _am_ too much of a homebody to do something as spontaneous as having a few one night stands…”

The world around Pidge abruptly went silent. She allowed her hopeless thoughts to travel to the forefront of her mind and they stayed there; swimming around in her head until all she could hear was white noise.

It’s pointless, really, to be disappointed in something as absurd as this. There are other major crisis going on in the world and she’s worried about receiving satisfaction.

She’s really gone off the deep end, hasn’t she?

“I forgive you.”

Pidge blinked up at Lance, raising an eyebrow in question. Once his words registered into her brain and comprehended what he meant, she instantly stood at full attention.

“Y-You do?”

He nodded and stepped forward, reaching out to twist his index finger around her bangs. There was a resolve behind his eyes Pidge couldn’t decipher.

“And I was actually thinking...about your offer…”

A minute later and Pidge didn’t realize she had stopped breathing until her head became lightheaded. By then, she was still having difficulty processing his words and began stuttering incoherent sentences until she ended with a clear, _“What?”_

“If it’s still on the table, I don’t mind sleeping with you.”

“Are you drunk?” She was suddenly very aware of his hand near her face and smacked it away. “There’s no way you’d say yes now after blowing up on me.”

“I had all that time to think it over,” Lance explained. “Besides, who better to trust than me?”

“Keith, Hunk, Shiro - to name a few.”

“You and Keith tried to be a thing in the past before realizing you were better off as friends. Shiro is basically family to you and Hunk has a girlfriend.”

“Allura’s pretty cute.”

“You’ve never even kissed a girl.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t now.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “See what I mean by me being your best bet?”

“What happened to you only wanting to have sex with somebody who matters to you?”

“Katie, you _do_ matter to me. It’s how I know this is going to be fun.”

She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and moved around him to go back to the living room. “Go home, Lance.”

She didn’t get far before he grabbed her arm and spun her around, nearly knocking her off her feet.

“What the hell is your problem?” She demanded.

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t want you seeking pleasure from a random guy. I’d rather it be me than somebody I don’t know.”

“Lance, I had all this time to think about how wrong it was of me to offer an insensitive proposal to you and now you’re telling me _this_ shit. I don’t buy it for a second.”

“The thought of you fooling around with some random guy doesn’t sit well with me. You’re one of the most important people in my life and if you’re asking for my help, I want to be there for you.”

_I want to be there for you._

Pidge’s mouth pressed in a tight line. She didn’t know how to respond to that. Nonetheless, her heart fluttered at his words. It was sweet, but also frustrating at the same time.

With a ragged sigh, Lance asked, “you want to know the real reason why I think you can’t find someone with this stupid method?”

“If you can explain it without insulting me, sure.”

“I wasn’t insulting you,” Lance clarified. “I was insulting the plan.”

Once again she said nothing. He continued.

“I know you say you’re just looking for people to have sex with, I get ya, but I’m here to tell you that because of the kind of girl you are, those kinds of hookups are never going to satisfy you.”

“And why not?” She clipped.

“Because Katie, you’re too damn smart and intense to only be looking for a bangin’ body with a nice face and it’s silly for you to assume that’d be enough. Your head may think that’s all you need to have a good time, but your heart is always going to be seeking for something more. Something real.”

“I’m not looking for love.”

“Never said you were, but don’t you think you’ll have a better luck with someone you’re familiar with? Someone that you know you’re not going to run away from because you’re _bored?”_

The steel gaze behind Pidge’s eyes melted.

“If you still want to try out the online dating service, be my guest. I’m strongly against it, but I also know I can’t tell you what to do with your life.” Lance stood back and held up his hands. “All I’m saying is that I think you’ll be more comfortable, have more fun, worry a lot less, and laugh way more if it’s somebody you already trust.”

Like Keith, Shiro, Hunk, Allura, or the man himself - Lance.

“No,” Pidge shook her head. “No. No we...can’t.”

His brow creased. “Why not?”

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” she said quietly, “I was so scared I had ruined it before tonight and I...I don’t - I can’t - I shouldn’t have -”

“Katie, look at me.”

As Pidge reluctantly obeyed, her breath instantly hitched.

Now who gave Lance the damn right to be this gentle and attractive? All it took was for him to have a soft gleam in his eyes, dawn a playful smirk on his lips, and say these tender words that made Pidge’s insides melt. It didn’t help how close their proximity was either. She could smell his intoxicating cologne and an underlying spicy aroma that was uniquely Lance. She knew the scent by heart and would always fill her nose with it whenever Lance allowed her to borrow his jackets. If she was honest with herself, it was one of her favorite scents in the world.

He tilted her chin upward. “What’s that look on your face for, _Katerína?”_

Shit - if that wasn’t the hottest thing she had ever heard it sure as hell was now.

“Please don’t say my name in Spanish.”

“Then make some other noise come out my mouth.”

Oh, she knew exactly what to do.

Or so she thought.

While Lance leaned in for a kiss, Pidge dropped on her knees and started undoing his belt buckles.

“Whoa! Hey, slow down!” He gasped and picked her back up. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you naked?” She stated obviously.

“J-Just like that?”

“That’s...kinda how sex works Lance.”

“Maybe for people who are in a hurry or don’t really like each other.” He kept a firm grip on her arms in case she decided to go down again. “We have time. Take it easy.”

“Am I doing something wrong?”

Somehow in that instant, Lance could sense her past sexual experiences had never been the most memorable; at least in a good way.

He was determined to do something about that.

“C’mere.”

He slipped his hand into hers and intertwined their fingers, giving her a nice squeeze and a smile. She parted her lips and stared in wonder as he led her upstairs. He quickly located her bedroom and pulled her in, closing and locking the door in the process.

“Give me a minute.”

She stood dazed by the corner as he tidied up her room a bit. The first thing he did was walk over to her window and close the curtains. Then, he gathered all her belongings scattered on her bed and dumped them all on her desk. He smoothed out the creases on the comforter and fluffed the pillows, making sure to stand them back up against the headboard. He picked up some clothes off the floor and tossed them in a hamper, raising an amused brow at a lacy bra he discovered in the dirty pile.

“Do you still have those candles Hunk got for your birthday?” He asked.

Pidge nodded. “They’re in my closet inside the orange bag.”

Lance fished them out and set them on a nightstand.

“Lighter?”

“First drawer.”

He rummaged through the contents until he found the small mechanical device. He snorted at the Danny Phantom symbol engraved on it.

“You actually bought it at the comic con?”

“Hell yeah I did.”

“Cute.” He lit up the candles. “Can you dim the lights in here?”

She reached over to the wall next to her and turned down the switch halfway. The mood in the room magically felt more intimate and it finally hit Pidge like a bulldozer on what was about to go down.

_Holy shit._

She was excited as hell but nervous as fuck. She wondered if Lance was feeling it too. Was his heart ricocheting against his ribcage like hers? Were his lungs turning into an inferno and thickening the breath he’s breathing out like hers? Is he feeling the same lava spreading inside his body and pooling around the nether regions like hers?

Were they really about to do this?

A soft, piano tune began to play on the radio and Pidge recognized the slow music as part of Lance’s sex playlist - aka the Bedroom Jams.

“I’m special enough to get the privilege of listening to these risque songs during our fun time?”

“Yes ma'am. I’ve always wanted to use it and I never had the opportunity to until now.”

“Huh? You mean you didn’t ever use them before? With your previous partners?”

He shook his head and took off his sneakers. “I just didn’t feel like using them.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed and beckoned her to come towards him.

Pidge wordlessly strutted over; already feeling the sensual tempo flowing through her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was very surprised at how natural and easygoing this was turning out to be. It would have never been like this with a stranger.

Lance deliberately checked her out from head to toe and released an appreciative noise in the back of his throat.

She let out a breathy laugh and stood in between his legs. “Never thought I’d be on the receiving end of _that_ look.”

He tentatively slithered his hands up and down her sides; her body’s heat intensified under his touch. “Would this be an appropriate time to confess I kinda always did give you the look? At least when you weren’t watching me.”

“Afraid I would hit you?”

_“Duh.”_

She laughed again. “Well, it’s nice to know you found me physically attractive before this. I thought for sure you were only pitying me.”

“Pitying? No way.” Lance firmly shook his head. “You’re smart, driven, and sexy as hell.”

If he kept complimenting her like this, she was going to combust.

“What about me?” He asked. “Have you ever checked me out?”

There was something hopeful in the way Lance phrased his question. Pidge swallowed and felt a small shiver run down her spine. Her eyes lowered from his face, down his neck, and followed the path where her hands were now touching down his muscular, lean arms.

“I’m checking you out now,” she whispered, “Is that...Is that okay with you?”

What Pidge didn’t know about herself was that she too had the ability to change the tone of her voice. The silky, velvety sound practically had Lance salivating on the spot.

“Hell yeah.”

Before she could finally kiss him, he leaned back and took her small hands in his. He ran his thumbs over her knuckles and licked his lips nervously.

“What is it?” She asked. There was a nudge in the back of her mind warning her he was about to back out and it made her heart drop.

“This...This doesn’t have to be just for tonight, y’know.” He responded, erasing all her doubts and replacing it with curiosity. “We can do this again tomorrow, or the day after, next week, the week after…But only if you want to! Obviously you don’t have to -”

“Lance.”

He raised his head upon being called and inhaled sharply through his nose when she shrugged off her cardigan to reveal a white spaghetti strap top. He could perfectly make out the tiny perked nubs standing at attention and protruding through her shirt. Damn...did he do that to her?

When he finally trailed his eyes up to stare at her face, she smiled affectionately and cupped his red cheeks.

“I think...I would love that.”

 

* * *

 

\---

_Hey Journal,_

_I may have hopped on the right train this time._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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